editorNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Robert Smith is a correspondent for NPR's Planet Money where he reports on how the global economy is affecting our lives. If that sounds a little dry, then you've never heard Planet Money . The team specializes in making economic reporting funny, engaging and understandable. Planet Money has been known to set economic indicators to music, use superheroes to explain central banks, and even buy a toxic asset just to figure it out. Smith admits that he has no special background in finance or math, just a curiosity about how money works. That kind of curiosity has driven Smith for his 20 years in radio. Before joining Planet Money, Smith was the New York correspondent for NPR. He was responsible for covering all the mayhem and beauty that makes it the greatest city on Earth. Smith reported on the rebuilding of Ground Zero, the stunning landing of US Air flight 1549 in the Hudson River and the dysfunctional world of New York politics. He specialized in features about the overlooked joys ofNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Robert SmithThu, 01 Feb 2018 04:43:33 +0000Robert Smithhttp://wesa.fm
Robert SmithCopyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit KELLY MCEVERS, HOST: NPR's Planet Money team wanted in on a market that is really hot right now - space. And as we heard on the show yesterday, they first managed to borrow a satellite. That didn't do them much good, though, without a rocket to take it to space. Luckily, NPR's Robert Smith knew a guy. ROBERT SMITH, BYLINE: I met him at a small satellite conference. I mean, the conference was huge. The satellites were small. And while I was walking around, he slides up to me, and he says... PHIL BRZYTWA: I'm kind of like your best friend that's going to find you a rocket somewhere in the world that has extra space. SMITH: Phil Brzytwa is a rocket broker with spaceflight.com. There's a boom on in private space flight. Rockets are going up all the time from India, Kazakhstan, the United States. And when the rockets have extra space, a satellite can get a lift. BRZYTWA: There's a car for every consumer, and there's a type of rocket for every type ofAfter Acquiring A Satellite, 'Planet Money' Had To Find The Fuel To Get It In Spacehttp://wesa.fm/post/after-acquiring-satellite-planet-money-had-find-fuel-get-it-space
101919 as http://wesa.fmWed, 31 Jan 2018 21:27:00 +0000After Acquiring A Satellite, 'Planet Money' Had To Find The Fuel To Get It In SpaceRobert SmithCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: President Trump says he will announce his tax plan in a couple of weeks. He did not give details, saying only it will be, quote, "phenomenal." One thing the president has hinted he will include is something called the border adjustment tax. Robert Smith of NPR's Planet Money team explains what that is. ROBERT SMITH, BYLINE: The border adjustment tax is a way to lower the corporate tax rate. University of California professor Alan Auerbach has been talking about it for a decade, although he calls it the DBCFT. ALAN AUERBACH: It's a destination-based cash flow tax. But we just all call it... SMITH: That sounds terrible. (LAUGHTER) SMITH: That's terrible. AUERBACH: Yeah, we need some PR help. I realize that. SMITH: Recently, he got that PR help from an unlikely source, from President Trump. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well, we're working on a tax reform bill that will reduce our trade deficits,Trump's Possible 'Border Adjustment Tax,' Explainedhttp://wesa.fm/post/trumps-possible-border-adjustment-tax-explained
78421 as http://wesa.fmFri, 10 Feb 2017 09:58:00 +0000Trump's Possible 'Border Adjustment Tax,' ExplainedRobert SmithCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.'Planet Money' Team Heads To Kansas To Get Into The Oil Businesshttp://wesa.fm/post/planet-money-team-heads-kansas-get-oil-business
71218 as http://wesa.fmMon, 19 Sep 2016 09:45:00 +0000'Planet Money' Team Heads To Kansas To Get Into The Oil BusinessRobert SmithCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: The battle of Britain is just beginning. It's a fight for the United Kingdom to get out of the European Union without losing too many of the privileges of membership. And that includes the privilege of free travel. Flights are inexpensive in Europe. There are few border checks. It's quick. NPR's Planet Money podcast has assessed the value of that free travel. Robert Smith went to four cities in 12 hours, starting in London. ROBERT SMITH, BYLINE: Europeans take this kind of travel for granted. My cab driver to the airport bragged about the tickets he got to Copenhagen for only 15 bucks. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED BROADCAST) IZMET TUKOLO: Yeah, yeah, yeah. SMITH: Did you even want to go to Copenhagen? TUKOLO: For that price, it's crazy not to go. SMITH: I will say doing four cities in half a day means you never really leave the airport. But it is possible to meet all of Europe in those airports. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED BROADCAST)Before Britain's EU Departure, We Fly To Some European Destinationshttp://wesa.fm/post/britain-prepares-depart-eu-we-take-stock-europe-air
68113 as http://wesa.fmThu, 14 Jul 2016 09:10:00 +0000Before Britain's EU Departure, We Fly To Some European DestinationsRobert SmithCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.Was It Worth It For Lesotho To Sell Its Water To South Africa?http://wesa.fm/post/drought-causes-lesotho-regret-selling-its-water-south-africa
66451 as http://wesa.fmWed, 08 Jun 2016 09:10:00 +0000Was It Worth It For Lesotho To Sell Its Water To South Africa?Robert SmithCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.Shoemaker New Balance Challenges Obama On Trans-Pacific Partnershiphttp://wesa.fm/post/shoemaker-new-balance-challenges-obama-trans-pacific-partnership
64429 as http://wesa.fmFri, 22 Apr 2016 20:33:00 +0000Shoemaker New Balance Challenges Obama On Trans-Pacific PartnershipRobert SmithCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit Transcript AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: Spring is just a few weeks away. ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: Hallelujah. CORNISH: Sunny days, flowers, bees... SHAPIRO: Buzzsaws, nail guns, plywood... CORNISH: Yeah, OK, let's get real. It's the time of year many homeowners build on, build out or build up. But what if there's just no room for your house to grow? SHAPIRO: You could do what they do in London - dig down. That's what NPR's Robert Smith told us about a few months ago when he sent us this report about the city's subterranean building boom. JOHN COYLE: You'd be surprised what's underground (laughter). ROBERT SMITH, BYLINE: Above us is a street of narrow London townhouses. Down here, it is the Wal-Mart of basements. This is huge. I mean, look at how tall the ceilings are down here. It is still under construction. It has been for nine months. The contractor, John Coyle, walks me through what is to come. COYLE: I just wanted to give you an idea of the scale of it.Encore: Housing Costs Inspire London Builders To Create Underground Mansionshttp://wesa.fm/post/encore-housing-costs-inspire-london-builders-create-underground-mansions
61928 as http://wesa.fmTue, 01 Mar 2016 21:39:00 +0000Encore: Housing Costs Inspire London Builders To Create Underground MansionsRobert Smithhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btY-3ED__Vo Gary Snyder has holes in his garden fence. That's not normally the kind of oversight you'd find in a well-kept British garden in a market town like Chipping Norton, 75 miles northwest of London. But the holes are there for a reason: hedgehogs. Snyder's backyard is now one small rest stop on what conservationists hope will be a network of hedgehog superhighways crisscrossing Britain. Snyder says at first he didn't even know he had hedgehogs coming through — they're nocturnal, hibernating during the winter months. But one night he was in bed with his wife. "We heard this funny grunting noise," Snyder says. "And we looked out our bedroom window and we saw — there were two hedgehogs actually in the back yard, and it was a courting process." When he went outside, Snyder realized the wonderful thing about hedgehogs: they aren't scared of humans. The noisy little things just rolled up into a ball, spikes out, and Snyder could pick them up. If youBritish Homeowners Build A New Superhighway — For Hedgehogshttp://wesa.fm/post/british-homeowners-build-new-superhighway-hedgehogs
60235 as http://wesa.fmTue, 26 Jan 2016 10:14:00 +0000British Homeowners Build A New Superhighway — For HedgehogsRobert SmithA groundbreaking law on domestic abuse takes effect today in England and Wales. It expands the meaning of domestic violence to include psychological and emotional torment. So it is now a crime there to control your spouse, say, through social media or online stalking. Experts in domestic violence say it represents a new way to look at the whole issue of abuse. Until recently, the only way police there could arrest someone for domestic violence was if the person assaulted or threatened their spouse. After a lot of research with victims, authorities realized that abuse often starts earlier and is more pervasive than they thought. The new law makes illegal all sorts of controlling and coercive behavior in a relationship. This can include stealing money from a spouse, limiting financial freedom, Internet stalking or restricting access to friends and family. Prosecutors will have to show a pattern of abuse and that it has real impact on a victim's life. Police around England and Wales areEngland And Wales Expand The Meaning Of Domestic Abusehttp://wesa.fm/post/england-and-wales-expand-meaning-domestic-abuse
59052 as http://wesa.fmTue, 29 Dec 2015 22:28:00 +0000England And Wales Expand The Meaning Of Domestic AbuseRobert SmithIf you are eating turkey this Christmas out of some sense of tradition, food historian Ivan Day says, put down that drumstick. After studying English cookbooks hundreds of years old, Day says the giant bird isn't even that traditional. Besides, he says, "It's a dry wasteland of flavorless meat." Sure, the first turkey came to England in the 1600s. It was an exotic "treat" from the New World. But a time traveler from Shakespeare's time wouldn't understand why everyone in the modern world was having the same dull bird on Christmas night. At his farmhouse in northern England, Day collects old cookbooks and food illustrations. He says in olden days, Christmas celebrations were all about novelty and variety. The tables of the rich might include a turkey and a goose, but also peacocks, swans, partridges and plovers. A rack of venison would sit beside a giant turtle. The eating would go on for days. Christmas used to be a 12-day drunken festival. Imagine Mardi Gras with snow. Cooks wereBig, Bold, Wild: We Re-Create Christmas Dinners Of Centuries Pasthttp://wesa.fm/post/big-bold-wild-we-re-create-christmas-dinner-17th-century-style
58861 as http://wesa.fmWed, 23 Dec 2015 22:33:00 +0000Big, Bold, Wild: We Re-Create Christmas Dinners Of Centuries PastRobert SmithCopyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.English Chef Recreates Dinners Of Christmas Pasthttp://wesa.fm/post/english-chef-recreates-dinners-christmas-past
58853 as http://wesa.fmWed, 23 Dec 2015 21:07:00 +0000English Chef Recreates Dinners Of Christmas PastRobert SmithNot too long ago, a New York taxi medallion was worth more than a million dollars. Gene Friedman managed to buy more than 1,000. But that was before Uber, and now people like Friedman face bankruptcy. Listen to the full story by Planet Money . Copyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.Uber, Lyft And No More Loans: Twilight Is Here For Big-City Taxi Baronshttp://wesa.fm/post/uber-lyft-and-no-more-loans-twilight-here-big-city-taxi-barons
52136 as http://wesa.fmFri, 07 Aug 2015 11:53:27 +0000Uber, Lyft And No More Loans: Twilight Is Here For Big-City Taxi BaronsRobert SmithCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel. AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: And I'm Audie Cornish. For the second day in a row, there was heartbreak in Sochi for American hockey. Yesterday, the U.S. women's team fell to Canada. Today, it was the men's turn losing in the Olympic semifinals. Canada now goes on to fight for the gold medal in men's hockey while Team USA can still get the bronze. Today's match was supposed to be an opportunity for the Americans to avenge their loss to Canada in the Olympics four years ago. But as NPR's Robert Smith reports, Canada wasn't going to let that happen. ROBERT SMITH, BYLINE: In 1921, a Canadian military man, Lieutenant Colonel James "Buster" Sutherland Brown, came up with a plan for Canada to invade the United States of America. Just in case the Americans ever got too aggressive, ever attacked, Canada was going to strike back. It was called Defence Scheme No. 1, and it involvedFour Years Later And One Round Earlier, The Game Ends The Samehttp://wesa.fm/post/four-years-later-and-one-round-earlier-game-ends-same
24807 as http://wesa.fmFri, 21 Feb 2014 21:05:00 +0000Four Years Later And One Round Earlier, The Game Ends The SameRobert SmithTranscript ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: Now, a roundup of some of the big stories out of Winter Olympics in Sochi today. A Norwegian athlete became the most decorated Winter Olympian of all time. And there was a bruising loss for host country Russia. Its men's hockey team lost to Finland and is out of the Olympic tournament. Russian fans like Alexander Ustinov(ph) were devastated. ALEXANDER USTINOV: You know, it's so bad because we lose. We lose. I can't believe it. It's so bad. SIEGEL: NPR's Robert Smith has been following the tournament and joins us now from Sochi. And, Robert, the Russian hockey team was supposed to be fierce. They had a bunch of big stars at their disposal. They had the home ice advantage. What happened? ROBERT SMITH, BYLINE: Well, that's probably what Vladimir Putin's going to ask the coach of the team because there was a lot of pressure on this team. And, you know, I think they did the sort of classic Olympic mistake, which is they went and they found the very best highRoundup At The Rink And On The Bobsled Trackhttp://wesa.fm/post/roundup-rink-and-bobslep-track
24676 as http://wesa.fmWed, 19 Feb 2014 21:40:00 +0000Roundup At The Rink And On The Bobsled TrackRobert SmithIf there's one sport in the Winter Olympics you can do with your eyes closed, it's bobsled. The bobsled brakeman does about five seconds of hard work, jumps in the sled and can then relax a bit. During the women's bobsled competition tonight in Sochi, we should keep our eyes open, because it's fun to watch. The women call themselves brakemen — not brake women or brake person — in a nod to the fact that bobsled was an all-male sport until 2002. Even now, the women only race two-man — not four-man — bobsled. Elana Meyers is the No. 1 driver on the U.S. team. She started as a brakeman and says that athlete has two jobs — pulling the brakes at the end and pushing hard. A brakeman also needs the gracefulness of a ballet dancer to hop into the sled without pulling it back or slowing it down. "There's not much glamour to pulling the brakes near the end," she says, "so they have to use that time to shine." When women's bobsled became an Olympic sport, the U.S. team had to search for athletes,In Bobsled, 'You Learn As You Go'http://wesa.fm/post/bobsled-you-learn-you-go
24588 as http://wesa.fmTue, 18 Feb 2014 15:03:00 +0000In Bobsled, 'You Learn As You Go'Robert SmithTranscript RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST: There is one sport in the Winter Olympics you can do with your eyes closed. To be precise, you have to do a few seconds of work, after which you can close your eyes and hope for a gold. I am referring to the brakeman in bobsled. That's the athlete who pushes the sled. Tonight, the woman's two-person bobsled starts in Sochi. NPR's Robert Smith introduces us to the team. ROBERT SMITH, BYLINE: Let's get this out of the way. The women call themselves brakemen. Not brake women or brake person. It's a nod to the fact that this used to be an all-male sport until 2002. And even now, the women are only allowed to race two-man not four-man bobsleds. ELANA MEYERS: It's still a man's world in our sport. Once we get four women, maybe they'll change it to brakewomen. But it's still that - four chicks. (LAUGHTER) SMITH: That's Elana Meyers, the number one driver on the U.S. team. But she started as a braker - no, that doesn't sound right either. Started as a brakeman.U.S. Women's Bobsled Team Features 2 Summer Olympianshttp://wesa.fm/post/us-womens-bobsled-team-takes-center-stage
24576 as http://wesa.fmTue, 18 Feb 2014 10:03:00 +0000U.S. Women's Bobsled Team Features 2 Summer OlympiansRobert SmithCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: At the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Team USA has been struggling to win gold. There were some hope today. Two pairs of American athletes went into their events as the best in the world. And we're going to hear now how they did, starting with two-men bobsled. America driver Steve Holcomb and his brakeman Steve Langton sounded like this on the bobsled course. (SOUNDBITE OF SHOUTING) CORNISH: The Steves were going 82.7 miles per hour. The Russian sled, piloted by Alexander Zubkov, sounded like this... (SOUNDBITE OF SHOUTING) CORNISH: All right. Perhaps you couldn't tell, but the Russian sled was faster and grabbed the gold. The Americans were left with the bronze medal. And NPR's Robert Smith is outside the track. And, Robert, it's been 62 years since the U.S. has won a medal in two-men bobsled. I know this is an achievement. But Holcomb was the tough racer in the world this year. How's he taking it? ROBERT SMITH, BYLINE: He is oneBronze In Bobsled For A Team Of Steveshttp://wesa.fm/post/bronze-bobsled-team-steves
24557 as http://wesa.fmMon, 17 Feb 2014 21:43:00 +0000Bronze In Bobsled For A Team Of StevesRobert SmithTranscript DAVID GREENE, HOST: Let's check in on the Winter Olympics now. It's been a rough time so far for team USA. They have only won four gold medals in ski and snowboard slope style and in women's snowboard half pipe. The U.S. has struggled in the more traditional sports of the Winter Olympics. That could, though, change today. The U.S. has the best bobsledder in the world, Steve Holcomb. And he races the two-man today. NPR's Robert Smith joins us from the Sanki Sliding track in the mountains above Sochi. Robert, good morning. ROBERT SMITH, BYLINE: Good morning. I'd love to describe the view but it's intensely foggy today. It's warming up here in Sochi. GREENE: What, fog? That's not exactly what you want for a Winter Olympics, warm and foggy. I guess that's not ideal weather then. SMITH: No. And some sports have been postponed by the fog. And even last night in the two-man bobsled the track was, according to the drivers, slow because the fog sort of warms up the ice. GREENE: Oh,U.S. Looks To Bobsledder Steve Holcomb To Add To Medal Counthttp://wesa.fm/post/olympic-update-sochi
24535 as http://wesa.fmMon, 17 Feb 2014 10:17:00 +0000U.S. Looks To Bobsledder Steve Holcomb To Add To Medal CountRobert SmithTranscript SCOTT SIMON, HOST: This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. The big event today at the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi is the U.S.A.-Russia men's hockey game. It is already underway in the Bolshoi Ice Dome. The U.S.A. or Russia can lose and still make the finals but the emotional stakes of these two old rivals meeting today in Russia is huge. NPR's Robert Smith is at the game. He sent us a list of how he prepared for the big event. ROBERT SMITH, BYLINE: You need five things to properly gird yourself for a U.S.A.-Russia hockey match. Number one, earplugs. (SOUNDBITE OF CROWD CHEERING) SMITH: It is thunderous inside the ice dome. ANNOUNCER: Russia plays very nice and very good. Russia winner, winner. SMITH: And before the game, total strangers came up to me to ask if I had an extra ticket for the U.S.A.-Russia match. You cannot buy one anywhere. So that means almost every seat is filled with people shouting... (SOUNDBITE OF PEOPLE SHOUTING) SMITH: ...Shayba, whichEmotions Run High For Olympic U.S.-Russia Hockey Gamehttp://wesa.fm/post/emotions-run-high-olympic-us-russia-hockey-game
24471 as http://wesa.fmSat, 15 Feb 2014 14:54:00 +0000Emotions Run High For Olympic U.S.-Russia Hockey GameRobert SmithTranscript ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. For a lot of Russians, the true start of the Olympics was today. Team Russia took the ice in men's hockey. At the very same time, Team USA also had their very first game. We sent a reporter to each game to see how the two rivals stack up against each other and they sent his report. ROBERT SMITH, BYLINE: I'm Robert Smith at the Team USA game here in Sochi. It's the red, white and blue against the red, blue and white: Slovakia. Hey, it's a world tournament, you've got to start somewhere. The big questions before the USA game were: How do all these professional NHL stars actually play together? And are any Americans going to show up to cheer them on? Most of the people waving the stars and stripes were the families of athletes. But Melody Thostenson came here from Minnesota as a pure fan. MELODY THOSTENSON: Everyone was a little scared. All my friends told me not to come. My family told me not to come. But we'reBetween U.S. And Russian Hockey, A Different Kind Of Cold Warhttp://wesa.fm/post/between-us-and-russian-hockey-different-kind-cold-war
24397 as http://wesa.fmThu, 13 Feb 2014 21:42:00 +0000Between U.S. And Russian Hockey, A Different Kind Of Cold War